


Whispers in the dark

by grantairehair



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: F/F, Modern AU kinda, mentions of sexual/physical assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-24
Updated: 2013-04-24
Packaged: 2017-12-09 10:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/773101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grantairehair/pseuds/grantairehair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even though Éponine claimed that her past no longer affected her present, her nightmares never quite left.  She was often embarrassed of them, even though Cosette told her that it was nothing to be ashamed of considering the circumstances of her upbringing. But she figured she should have been used to it by now, having been raised with malice looming over her from basically all of her childhood. She thought that it had hardened her into indifference, but even so, many a night she sprang awake in a cold sweat, recoiling from the anticipated blow from her mother or father or Montparnasse or someone else equally terrifying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whispers in the dark

She never said anything, never asked for words of comfort or burst into tears. She just sat shivering in her bed. She’d be fine after a few minutes of calm, measured breathing.

Grantaire told Cosette that Éponine would be fine once she realized that they weren’t real, that her parents couldn’t touch her anymore, that the best thing that they could all do was leave her alone.

Despite the logic in his words, Cosette hated seeing her like this, and one night she decided to do something about it.

-

Éponine tensed in anticipation of the man’s hand, the cracked dead skin more familiar than it should have been. Her eyes flew open and she exhaled unsteadily, trying to force the panic out of her system. She wiped a few drops of sweat off her temples and tried to sit up so she could take a few more deep breaths.

Except someone had placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, memories flashing through her head of people and beds and bad dreams until she realized it was Cosette.

“Shhhh.” Cosette told her, stroking her shoulder and easing her back into a recumbent position on the bed. “It’s four in the morning. Just go back to sleep.”

Éponine let out a deep breath and looked at Cosette’s concerned expression warily. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” She reclined anyway so that they were laying together, Cosette’s arms encircling her protectively.

Cosette turned on her side and began stroking Éponine’s hair, getting the damp strands out of her face. “No you’re not. And yes I do.” With that, she crushed Éponine’s face to her chest and resumed stroking her hair.

Éponine’s sigh was muffled against Cosette’s chest. “Cosette, this is completely unnecessary.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She replied matter-of-factly.

As arguing with Cosette was often pointless, Éponine resigned to Cosette’s presence in her bed and settled into the girl’s chest, wrapping one of her arms around Cosette’s hips. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t comforted by Cosette’s even breathing and soft fingers easing through her hair and aroma smelling of warm vanilla sugar body lotion. They stayed there, comfortable, for a few minutes and Éponine’s breathing slowed down into a regular rhythm matching Cosette’s.

“It was more vivid this time.” Éponine whispered into Cosette’s chest.

Cosette pressed her lips against Éponine’s hair. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Éponine closed her eyes. “His hand was so close before I woke up. I don’t even know who he was. Just that he was one of my father’s friends. He used to touch me. Hit me when I whimpered.” Her voice was a hummingbird’s breath, the wake of air left by the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, a flower petal landing on top of a pond. Resonant, delicate, and almost too quiet to hear. It broke Cosette’s heart.

Éponine offered no more, preferring to stay with her face pressed to Cosette’s comforting breast, calming in her presence. Cosette stayed like she was for a few seconds then squirmed down so that they were laying face to face. She put her forehead against Éponine’s, whose brown eyes were brimming with tears, although she’d deny it if anyone asked. Éponine didn’t cry.

“No one is ever going to touch you again unless you want them to.” Cosette told her calmly. She stroked Éponine’s cheek slowly with her thumb while slowly moving her fingertips along the roots of her hair. Éponine smiled halfheartedly at her, and Cosette pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Éponine exhaled deeply and closed her eyes. “I know.” Cosette rubbed her nose against Éponine’s, and Éponine giggled, lightly kissing Cosette’s soft lips that tasted of hot chocolate and pomegranate chapstick before burying her face in the other girl’s hair.

One of Cosette’s arms snaked around Éponine’s lower back and the other tangled in her hair. Éponine used both arms to pull Cosette closer to her and wrapped one of her legs over Cosette’s hips. Jehan found them intertwined like so when he came by to wake Eponine up the next morning but decided to just let them be.


End file.
